The Crozier Pharaohs

‘One can’t be precise when the body has been in water. The person who found him — this woman who works for the Rant sisters — had to get back to Crozier Lodge and on to the telephone, the police had to get from Axehead to Watersmeet, then the police doctor had to be summoned and he pulled me in to give a second opinion, as the circumstances were so unusual — ’

‘In what particular way?’

‘Well, the dog was sitting on the trousers and the man was wearing nothing but briefs and a shirt. Anyway, we both came to the conclusion that he had been dead only a matter of a few hours.’

‘At what time did you see him?’

‘Between eleven and half-past.’

‘If I suggested that he died at round about six o’clock, would that fit in with your findings?’

‘Oh, yes, near enough.’ The doctor looked interested. So far, Dame Beatrice thought, he had been slightly on the defensive, but not now. ‘What do you know that I don’t?’ he asked brightly.

‘Nothing which I can substantiate at present. Dr Mortlake, I would like to go back to the time of Dr Rant’s death.’

‘I can’t tell you anything more about that. You have heard what I said in court. There is nothing more.’

‘A question or two, if I may. You were living at Crozier Lodge at the time. You must have known what a foolish and dangerous course Dr Rant was pursuing by drinking heavily while he was taking a powerful drug. Did you never warn him?’

‘Of course I did, but once and once only. He went for me with the bottle of gin he had just emptied. Luckily for me, he tripped on the edge of the rug and fell flat just before he reached me. I didn’t approach the subject again after that. I decided it wasn’t up to me to try to save his rotten life. I wondered whether it would be better if I left Crozier Lodge and washed my hands of him and his affairs, but I had nothing coming in at that time except the salary he paid me as his assistant — I will say for him that the money came regularly month by month because, when I first signed on, I insisted on having it paid by banker’s order — but, apart from that, I felt that my presence in the house was a bit of protection for the two girls.’

‘You were not in the least surprised when he died, I suppose, knowing what you did of his habits?’

Dr Mortlake hesitated. He fidgeted with the strap of his wristwatch so that he could look down and escape from the hypnotic effect of Dame Beatrice’s brilliant black eyes. However, he was forced by her watchful silence to respond to her question.

‘Well, to tell you the truth because it doesn’t matter now, I had formed an opinion — not based, I hasten to add, on anything tangible, but just an opinion — that although he had taken my warning so badly, he had begun to heed it.’

‘So you were surprised when he died.’

‘Oh, well, not really. The alcohol alone would have done for him in the end. He died a bit sooner than I expected, that is all.’

‘Was the nature of the drug he was taking revealed at the inquest?’

‘Well, the chemist was called and a very scared man he was. He could not produce the prescription. He said that Dr Rant was hoping to patent the production and get a multiple firm of chemists to promote it, so he insisted that each prescription should be destroyed when the drug was collected. The chemist testified that the contents varied a little from time to time, as Dr Rant (he supposed) continued his experiments. The coroner did not press the man, as, of course, he ought to have done, and I myself have no idea what the mixture was, since the bottles were always most carefully washed out as soon as they were empty.’

‘That chap is a smooth talker,’ said Laura later.

‘The bedside manner, perhaps,’ said Dame Beatrice, ‘but what he told us was revealing, I thought, didn’t you?’

10

Dead in the Valley

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I think you ought to have a lock put on that door,’ said Susan one day to Bryony. ‘Now that you’ve heard one tramp has used the loft as a doss-house, others may follow and some may be very rough types. Besides, it’s known all over the place that you two are alone here at night. You ought to make the front gates secure as well. You can always let me have a key.’

‘Something in what Susan says, don’t you think?’ said Morpeth to her sister when the kennel-maid had gone out with two of the hounds. ‘I don’t at all care for the thought of a tramp getting into the grounds and sleeping in the loft. After all, if people know we are alone I expect they also know that, except for harmless, goofy old Sekhmet, the hounds are shut away at night and can’t protect us.’

‘I agree. We’ll have a padlock put on the front gates and another on the outside of the loft door. Well, shopping day, so I’ll get the padlocks in Axehead while I’m doing the rest of it.’

‘Why don’t you teach me to drive the car? We could then take it in turn to do the shopping.’

‘You’re too nervous to make a good driver. Besides, I don’t think you would ever pass the test.’

‘We don’t know that until I’ve tried.’

‘This is no part of the country for a learner-driver. It takes me all my time to negotiate the road down to Abbots Bay and the hill to Axehead. I’ll teach you the rudiments out on the moor, if you like. It’s quiet and safe up there, but it wouldn’t help you at all when you face sharp bends and traffic and a hill of one in four when you wanted to get into Axehead.’